CBR 44

As he took a bite of the bread, dozens of layers of pastry crumbled all at once with a crisp sound, and the flavor of butter along with the sweetness of custard cream surged in his mouth. The heat of the festival taking place on his tongue spread tinglingly throughout his entire body along his blood vessels. The crispy icing and the chewy, sugar-simmered chestnuts blended together to bring out rich flavor. The lump of fantastic flour melted smoothly at the tip of his tongue, and his stomach, ravenous from an empty morning, cried out for more. Jaewon opened his mouth the moment he swallowed the bread.

“…Ah.”

However, whether his aim was off or not, nothing touched his tongue. The bread was further away than he thought. Following the bread like a fish chasing bait, Jaewon’s body tilted forward. A voice offering a subtle warning reached his ears, and a firm arm wrapped around his waist. Somehow, he ended up practically embraced by Dojun, but Jaewon, distracted by the bread, failed to notice. As his posture suddenly shifted, he didn’t manage to close his mouth in time. The saliva that had pooled inside his mouth stretched downward in a thin thread.

“You’re drooling.”

A low laugh scattered by his ear. It was strange. He felt as if the sound of the laughter was transmitted through his body rather than his ears. Carrying a mischievous smile on his lips, Dojun playfully shook the bread bit by bit to tease him. As vibrations spread through the area where their skin touched, his pulse gradually quickened, and a strange sensation—as if ten giant snakes were crammed into his empty belly—washed over him. Driven by an unknown craving, whether it was thirst or hunger, Jaewon took a big bite of the bread.

Dojun, quietly observing him eat ravenously, looked to be in a good mood. His slightly lowered eyes were languidly relaxed.

“You eat well.”

A leisurely voice tapped him lightly on the bridge of his nose. The words sounding like mockery must be an illusion. Watching contentedly like a caretaker feeding an animal, he looked amused. For some reason, Jaewon felt like an exhibit on display, but the bread was too sweet to formulate proper thoughts.

“You’ll choke.”

As Jaewon ate with his nose practically buried in the bread, Dojun scolded him gently. Indifferent, Jaewon tried to take another bite, but the bread was whisked away behind him. As he immediately tried to follow it, a palm blocked his path.

“Wait.”

He spoke sternly, as if commanding a dog. The hand blocking his mouth was large enough to cover half his face. The palm, wafting a subtle sweet scent, felt firm yet soft to the touch, carrying the trace of a life far removed from rough labor. His stomach began to churn slightly, making Jaewon swallow his saliva for no reason.

The hand soon pulled away. A finger brushed his lips, and a triangular carton was thrust in front of his eyes. It was coffee milk. Jaewon blinked, then looked up at Dojun.

“I… coffee…”

“I know.”

His words were cut off cleanly. As Jaewon merely stared blankly, Dojun met his gaze. Seeing that nonchalant face, Jaewon realized that the fact that he couldn’t drink coffee was of no consequence to him at all. What mattered was his intention to feed him. In that arrogant decisiveness, Jaewon felt an irresistible sense of submission. For someone like him, whose rebellious blood ran hot, it was a mysterious thing.

“I heard it makes you… dumber.”

“Who says?”

“Mom.”

Of course, that was a story from when he was seven years old. The word, spoken after a long time, rolled awkwardly inside his mouth.

“You’re all grown up, so it’s fine.”

It was strange how those words made him feel like a nursling instead. Dismissing it as simply as if asking if that was really okay, Dojun tore the corner of the milk carton with his teeth. The moment he saw the wrinkles on his nose and his smooth canine teeth, Jaewon squeezed his eyes shut without realizing it. Whether his sensitivity to caffeine had worsened without his knowing, it seemed his heart fluttered just from looking at coffee now.

A cold, hard sensation touched his cheek. When he opened his eyes, he saw the milk carton placed right in front of his nose. Between the cut edges, light brown liquid sloshed tantalizingly.

I shouldn’t. Contrary to his thoughts, his lips gradually parted. The sharp corner of the milk carton touched the edge of his mouth, and soon, cool, sweet liquid poured into his mouth.

Gulp. Gulp.

His throat gently rose and fell as he swallowed the milk. The gulping sound rang out unnaturally loud. Sweat gradually seeped into the lines of his palm. One gulp, two gulps, four gulps—he felt like he had drunk more than half, yet the milk carton showed no sign of leaving his mouth. It grew increasingly overwhelming for Jaewon. He tried to pull back, but the thick arm held his waist firmly, leaving him unable to budge.

“…Mmph.”

He tapped Dojun’s shoulder and chest to signal him to stop, but he paid no heed. On the contrary, he tightened the strength in the arm gripping his waist, exerting a silent pressure. Each time, the flexing of his packed muscles was transmitted directly underneath his palm. Feeling that sensual movement clearly as if touching bare skin, Jaewon shuddered despite himself.

“Pfft, gasp.”

The milk carton pulled away only after he had swallowed every last drop of the liquid inside. Jaewon burst into a fit of coughing right before he could choke. Out of breath from frantically catching his air, he didn’t even notice the unswallowed milk dripping down the corner of his mouth.

“Why do you eat making such a mess?”

“No, who was the one who just shoved it down my throat…”

“Sloppy.”

His finger swept across his mouth. At that moment, the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. As his thick thumb rubbed roughly against his lips, his back grew hot and his hands and feet felt numb and tingly.

Clack.

The desk kicked by his toes slid back slightly. A finger pried through his lips and forced his mouth open. Even though it was an inviting touch with no compulsion at all, his mouth opened helplessly. As the rounded tip was caught between his teeth, a faint goosebump rose.

The finger stirred inside his mouth as if swimming. The fingertip, with neatly groomed nails, lightly swept over his teeth and pressed here and there thoroughly against his tongue and the inside of his cheeks. It was a touch as if measuring something.

“Your mouth is small.”

His eyes, carefully inspecting the mouth area, narrowed. Letting out a light tut of his tongue, he shifted his hand and pressed down firmly on his tongue. The flesh, weighed down by clean, efficient force, clung stickily to his finger.

“You’ll use your tongue well.”

As if satisfied with the sticky response, Dojun muttered in a tone that it was at least better, then pulled his hand out. As the thick flesh slid out, a long stream of saliva stretched between his finger and Jaewon’s lips. Dojun stared intently at his hand wet with spit, then slowly began rubbing his fingers together. It was a rather explicit gesture.

“It’s sticky.”

“…”

His tone was calm, as if describing a phenomenon right before his eyes. Yet it didn’t sound that way. The hand moving slowly and suggestively seemed to touch secretions came not from a mouth, but from somewhere else. Irises as smooth as carved stone were gazing over here. That adhesive gaze didn’t leave Jaewon’s face for even a second. It was a look watching his opponent’s reaction while holding all the cards. Turning his head away to avoid his eyes from a feeling he couldn’t tell was displeasure or discomfort, a large hand grabbed his chin and turned it back.

“Hey, come on…”

Unable to hold it in, he let the words out, but his voice came out weakly. Jaewon couldn’t understand. Having done every part-time job imaginable, he was an expert skilled in handling stormy teenagers. No matter how large Kim Dojun was like a foreign swimmer, how fierce his eyes were like a wild beast, and how his temperament for bossing people around rivaled the chairman of a conglomerate, he was still just a high schooler—so why was he so utterly helpless? Just looking at the guy’s face made his brain, which usually ran so well, stop working, and words that were produced year-round ceased to form. For someone who had never relinquished freedom of expression even in the most terrifying and dangerous situations, it was bewildering.

While Jaewon was lost in a silent inner question, Dojun, who was holding his lower jaw and turning it this way and that, lowered the ends of his eyebrows as if troubled.

“Oh dear. Your face got dirty.”

“It’s cleaner than your personality…”

“You need to wash up a bit.”

“No, I think I’m totally fine, augh.”

His face messily covered in saliva, sweet juice, and bread crumbs was far from fine, but Jaewon wanted to decline any further contact. True to an alpha male, the guy was thorough in managing his slaves. Having completed a teeth inspection following a body inspection, he was sufficiently a wreck now. However, Dojun raised Jaewon to his feet as if he hadn’t heard. As he was dragged along fluttering like a sheet of paper by his hand, Jaewon heard the sound of a bell ringing. Fortunately, it was the sound of the class bell ringing.

“Th-the bell rang.”

“Not like you care anyway.”